Tips for networking when job hunting

Try networking, it really does work. At least 60%  of all jobs are found by networking. Develop contacts - friends, family, neighbors, college alumni, people in associations - anyone who might help generate information and job leads.

You can take a direct approach and ask for job leads or try a less formal approach and ask for information and advice. Contact everyone you know. You may be surprised by the people they know.

For a complete copy of the article on networking see it here.

Cover Letter, before and after

In addition to a cover letter being specific in linking your abilities and experience directly to the job requirements, the letter has to also grab the reader.  It may be that the cover letter gets the reviewer to read the resume or in a pursal of your resume they want a confirmation their impression from the cover letter.

In any case an example of a real cover letter in ‘before and after’ versions can give you some pointers on the possible improvements you might incorporate in your introduction. For a brief comparison of the two versions see the examples here.

Ready for your video interview?

As if mentally preparing for a job interview wasn’t hard enough, now you need to look good on camera, too.

More companies are making video interviews an integral step in the hiring process. Depending on the survey, from 30 percent to 60 percent of organizations conduct some portion of job interviews via webcam.  There are things you can do to be ready, including knowing where to look, practicing and making sure you’re talking from an appropriately work-like setting.

Here are the recommend preparations for a video interview:

1. Get the gear
2. Talk from an office setting
3. Declutter and remove noisemakers
4. Adjust the lighting
5. Dress appropriately
6. Look into the camera
7. Practice
8. Be on time

For the details on these video savy topics, see the full article here.

Re-Employed? Pick up the pieces

One of the ugliest features of the Great Recession and its dreary aftermath has been the high rate of long-term unemployment, which the Labor Department defines as being jobless for 27 weeks or longer.  About 1.4 million people altogether were long-termers as of January 2014.

Today, the economy is improving and the jobless rate is falling, but that leaves lots of newly employed Americans picking up the pieces of their financial lives thrown off the rails by the recession.

What if you're 50?  You don't have as much time to make up for lost earnings and forfeited retirement contributions. But there are steps you can take to get your retirement plans, and your finances in general, back on track.

• Celebrate (in moderation).
• Assess the damage and set a new budget.
• Start saving and tackle debt.
• Get a checkup.
• Catch up on retirement.
• Plan on it happening again.

For the details of these steps see the complete article here.